Roads in Belize

The road network in Belize consists of over 3,000 kilometres (1,900 mi) of roads, of which approximately 575 kilometres (357 mi) is paved.

Belize has five major asphalt-paved two-lane roads:

Most maps also display Old Northern Highway, which provides access to Altun Ha. This road is a single lane and paved in places, but deteriorates dramatically immediately north from the access road to the ruins.

There is also the Coastal Highway, also known as the Manatee Highway or the Shortcut, which joins the Western Highway 30 miles (48 km) west of Belize City with the Stann Creek Valley near Dangriga, but it is all gravel, and may wash out in heavy rains.

Most Belizeans travel by bus as their main form of transportation. In the large towns and cities, such as Belize City, tickets can be bought ahead of time at a bus terminal. However, the most common way of catching a bus is by flagging it down on the road. On the Phillip Goldson and George Price Highways, bus service is more frequent than on smaller highways and other roads. In some locations, like small towns, buses may run only once a day. Many buses are old Greyhounds or school buses, although newer express buses travel the two main highways. The express buses cost slightly more than other buses.

Travel by bus in Belize is inexpensive, with the total fare from Chetumal, Mexico, at the border in the north to Punta Gorda in the far south being only around BZD $40 (USD $20). Fares vary by route and bus line, but generally fares run around 5–7 US cents per mile (3.1–4.3 ¢/km). With the 2005 bankruptcy and closing of the largest national bus company, Novelo's, bus service in Belize has become more fragmented. National Transportation Services, effectively the successor to Novelo's, generally operates from the old Novelo's terminals, but almost 100 other bus lines, some with only one bus, also operate around the country. Among the larger lines are James, Tillett's, Belize Buses (a drivers' co-op) and Gilharry. Shuttle vans also operate, providing direct service between towns for a higher price. Two Guatemala-based bus lines, Linea Dorada and San Juan, have service from Chetumal, Mexico, to Flores, Guatemala, via Belize City.

...
Wikipedia